Hyderabad: A local court sentenced temple priest A Venkat Sai Krishna to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of 30-year-old K Apsara in Saroornagar in 2023. In addition, he was handed a seven-year jail term and fined ₹10 lakh, with ₹9.7 lakh allocated as compensation for the victim’s family.
Krishna, already married, had promised to marry Apsara and lured her to Shamshabad under the pretense of a trip to Coimbatore. Instead, he smothered her to death and concealed her body inside a manhole near the Bangaru Maisamma temple in Saroornagar in June 2023.
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To mislead her family, Krishna fabricated flight tickets and even told Apsara’s mother he was dropping her at the RGI Airport. However, he drove her to an isolated spot in Narkuda, Shamshabad, where he carried out the murder. He later transported her body in his car, dumped it in a manhole, sealed it with cement, and attempted to erase all evidence.
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The crime came to light when RGI police, investigating Apsara’s missing case, detained Krishna on suspicion. Under interrogation, he confessed to the brutal killing.
But the bigger question remains – when those who claim to guide people in faith turn into predators, who holds them accountable? And is a prison sentence enough when justice fails to undo the irreversible?